


empty little dreams

by orphan_account



Series: bucky barnes' walk through hell [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 1500 Words of Backstory, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Mob, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Artist Steve Rogers, BAMF Carol Danvers, Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, Bucky is 38, Crime Boss Bucky Barnes, Getting to Know Each Other, Lawyer Clint Barton, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Punk Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Slow Burn, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve has panic attacks, Steve is 23, Sugar Daddy Bucky kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:09:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24817384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When George Barnes moves to New York City from Indiana, he’s twenty years-old and scrappy. When he meets Winnie Hubbard, he’s working as a bus boy and a dishwasher at a fancy restaurant that doesn’t pay him enough to eat there.In every photo that Bucky has ever seen of his parents together, George looks at Winnie like she put the moon and all the stars in the sky.The same way Bucky knows he must have looked at Steve meeting him at his art show.+or, how Bucky inherited the mob.(title from Say Anything)
Relationships: Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: bucky barnes' walk through hell [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793596
Comments: 5
Kudos: 125





	empty little dreams

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for the feedback on part 1! it's always super appreciated. <3  
> ps: there's non-violent, minor character death here. proceed with caution.  
> 

When George Barnes moves to New York City from Indiana in 1977, he’s twenty years-old and scrappy. When he meets Winnie Hubbard in 1981, he’s working as a bus boy and a dishwasher at a upscale restaurant that doesn’t pay him enough to eat there. The money that he does make, he uses to rent their first apartment together, and Winnie gives birth to their firstborn and only son in 1982. Before Bucky’s even nine months old, they find themselves pregnant again, and George starts to feel the pressure.

It all starts as an accident, really. A fellow busboy at the restaurant named Howard has a sure win that he lets George in on. A boxing match at a gym in walking distance of the restaurant. They could go after the initial dinner rush, place their bets, and be back before closing to get on cleaning duty.

Howard Stark had a small frame but every inch of him was brilliance. He had the type of wit that made him light on his feet and quick with his tongue. He was a New York native with a short temper, and he often told George that moving up in America was often impossible “without picking up some bad habits on the way.”

On the night of the fight, Winnie is six months pregnant with their daughter, and is home with Bucky in their one-bedroom apartment. The money is George’s pocket feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. It’s more than half of their monthly rent, and if he loses it, there’s no way he’ll be able to make it back by the first of next month.

He’s putting an incredible amount of faith in Howard, but really, he can’t afford not to at least try.

When they get to the gym, Howard leads him to a trio of large men standing by a wall of lockers.

“Hello, gentlemen.” Howard begins. The men look at the two of them a way that makes George feel like he’ll lose his lunch if they don’t get out of here. The men are synchronized like a Cerberus; they move like they share one body and three heads.

Howard remains firm and calm. George envies him for it. “See any good movies lately?”

George flits his eyes to Howard without moving his body and starts to regret that his family having a roof over their heads is going to rely on him.

Two heads of the Cerberus look at each other before looking at the third on the end, and he jerks a thumb to his left. One of the heads breaks off and leads George and Howard to a door that reads “EMPLOYEES ONLY - PRIVATE AREA”, opening the door for them and slamming it shut behind them without going inside.

They place 3-1 bets on a local boxer known as The Iron Man. And they win.

From then, George is hooked. So much so, he quits his job at the restaurant, unbeknownst to Winnie. He and Howard dedicate themselves to winning matches. Then they’re so good, they start taking bets themselves. They expand their reach from just boxing matches to baseball and basketball games. They draft a group of men who they put in charge of collecting on their debts. They’re making more money then they know what to do with, and George can’t tell Winnie about it. He’s running out of places to hide the cash in their apartment, so he moves the Barnes’ into a brownstone in Manhattan.

When she would look back, Winnie would tell herself should have been concerned sooner. One day, when Bucky is three years old, the Barnes receive a visitor. He toddles over to the door and pulls it open with both of his chubby fists. The man asks for George, and Bucky takes the man’s hand and drags him to the kitchen.

“Mommy, there’s a man looking ‘or daddy.” Bucky says around his pacifier, before running back in the living room where Becca and his toys are waiting. When the New York City police commissioner is standing in her kitchen is whenever Winnie Barnes finally realizes that something is wrong, and it feels much to late at that point.

That’s how Howard and George create the Commandos, and how Winnie finds out that New York’s elite are actually just slimy, scared men. If they aren’t in debt to the Commando’s, they’re in debt to a different mob and seeking protection from the Commando’s.

When George brings home the title to a 1965 Jaguar S-Type, Winnie threatens him with a divorce while Bucky and Becca are asleep in their rooms. She’s a mother, and her loyalty lies in her children and their protection. George is in far too deep to stop now. The money they are making is keeping their family comfortable. Sure, it’s dirty, but if they even had police officers begging them for their help, were they really that bad? Really, all they’re doing is helping people. Helping their own men provide for their families. Getting dangerous men off the streets. They’re vigilantes if they are anything.

Winnie however isn’t buying it, and the only thing that George can offer her is a promise; no more secrets or lies between them. For Winnie, that’s enough.

Until Howard Stark’s body is found in the driver’s seat of his 1963 Corvette, a bullet wound in the back of his head. The shell is found in the floor of the back seat.

One night shortly after when Bucky stumbles out of his bedroom to go to the bathroom, he sees his father on the living room floor. His head is in Winnie’s lap, and hard sobs are wrecking his body. Winnie is quiet, only giving soft strokes to her husband’s hair. Bucky doesn’t remember going to Howard Stark’s funeral, but he does remember that is the only time he’s ever seen his father cry.

When Winnie Barnes died of cancer, Bucky was seventeen years old. His father dies less than ayear later a month after Bucky’s birthday. Everyone convinced that it was off a broken heart. Then, it’s just Bucky and Becca.

Bucky slips easily into George’s role in the Commandos. Almost too well, but he does it. He puts Becca through college at NYU, and walks her down the aisle at her wedding.

Now, at thirty-eight, Bucky has forgotten how long he’s been looking at the framed photo of Winnie and George that hangs next to the door of his penthouse, just above the table where he leaves his keys and wallet. In every photo that Bucky has ever seen of his parents together, George looks at Winnie like she put the moon and all the stars in the sky. The same way Bucky knows he must have looked at Steve meeting him at his art show.

He sighs and shrugs off his jacket, laying it over the back of his couch. He makes his way to his bedroom and stands in front of his dresser, working off his rings, watch, and hair tie. Bucky finds that he tends to have at least three ties on his person at all time. As he’s reaching to remove his holster, he here’s the lock on his front door being opened.

Bucky stills and makes himself as quiet as possible. He removes his Ruger from the holster and steps only on the places where the wooden floor is covered by carpeted rugs. When he walks out of the bedroom and draws his gun, he finds Carol standing in his living room.

“I swear to God, your key is supposed to be for emergencies.” Bucky sighs, walking back towards his bedroom, putting his gun and holster down for good this time. Carol smirks and follows.

“Well, I couldn’t wait to see how you managed to drag young, blond, and handsome from his own opening show.” Carol leans in the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest.

Bucky pulls up the leg of his pants and unhooks the ankle holster that holds his switchblade. “You know most people would know better than to just let themselves into a mob boss’ home.”

“Quit making excuses and spill it.” Carol steps out of her heels and holds them in one hand, asserting her place in Bucky’s penthouse until she gets what she wants.

Bucky sighs and steps into his closet, pulling his ankle boots off.

“It was his first show, Danvers. I stepped out to answer a call from Sam, and before I could get back inside, he comes barreling out into the lobby having a full-fledged panic attack. All I did was talk him down from it.” Carol sighs sadly. “He was having a really hard time. He cried in acomplete stranger’s arms.”

Bucky unbuttons the dress shirt he’s wearing before stepping into the bathroom and putting it in the hamper, leaving him in his undershirt.

“You know, you might be my type if you liked women.” Carol said from her place at the door.

“And if you liked men?” Bucky smirks at Carol and she flips him off.

“He asked how to get in touch with you.” Carol pulls off her own jacket and holds it in the crook of her elbow.

Bucky slowly turns towards Carol, “Steve?”

“No, idiot. Santa Claus.” Bucky’s turn to flip off Carol. She smiles at him and walks toward the living room, calling over her shoulder “If you wanna talk anymore about this, I’m ordering Chinese.” Bucky sighs and follows his best friend, already pulling out his phone to order. 

**Author's Note:**

> i told you guys this was gonna be a slow burn. there will be more bucky/steve in the next part though, promise. <3


End file.
